Why Slash? Why Het? Why Gen? Why Anything?

[browngirl]

This isn't really the evenhanded, reasonable, persuasive essay it should be. It's more of a stroppy little rant, because I got exasperated.

So recently there's been another panfandom round of Why Do You Like Slash/Gen/Het/Whatnot, with its dire followers Why My Chosen Genre Is the Best and Why This Other Genre Is Not Just Not To My Taste But Is Morally Wrong And Its Adherents Are Puppykickers.

mtgat said it beautifully when she said, "Slash is Like Pants". Those women who wear pants aren't viragos; those who wear skirts aren't antifeminist. We just all have different tastes in clothing, and also in fic. As someone who likes slash, het, *and* gen, and who believes that about tastes there really should be no arguments, I am beyond weary of watching people with a marked preference for one over the others disparage the other genres and their adherents. We can like what we like, we can discuss why we like what we like, without justifying it by attempting to prove all other choices Globally Wrong.

After all, for those of us who like fanfic, I think we should remember that much of the rest of the world has decided our hobby is freaky or pathetic if not outright theft. Maybe we should hang together before we hang separately. (See also, The Organization for Tranformative Works.)

This has been your daily rant. *curtseys and gets off soapbox*

Comments

[dreamflower]

*applauds*

You know I'll read het or slash sometimes, though my heart's in gen, but--well, yeah! it is about taste and what one person likes is not the same as what another one likes.

I did read something the other day that rather irked me, though. Someone said, "Well, fanfic's all about getting the characters between the sheets," (And it was just kind of thrown out there like it was a fact everyone knew.) Say what? But they were in a totally different fandom, so maybe that was true for their fandom--but, still!

I wanted to say, "No, it's about exploring the characters in all sorts of different situations--and sometimes that's between the sheets and sometimes it's not." But I was a lurker in their LJ, so I kept my figurative mouth shut.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

*snort* Have to agree with you on that one.

[capra-maritimus.livejournal.com]

"No, it's about exploring the characters in all sorts of different situations--and sometimes that's between the sheets and sometimes it's not."

I have to say word on this comment AND ruby's post. :D:D:D

Love the Slash Is Like Pants thing. :D:D:D:D:D

*cough* I like nudists too. *cough*

[papervolcano]

Oh gods, yes. One of my enduring points of irritation with fandom as a whole is that attitude - I just *don't* get it. I've tried to understand the attitude (and that's the third time today I've typoed attitude as attidude. I may have a problem here), but it's just alien to me, same as rabid shipping. Other people are not rabid babyeating skunkfarts for having different tastes to me.

[brownbetty]

Mmmmm, pants….

[telperion1.livejournal.com]

But at least in Gondor, we have no pants.....

*coughs*

Seriously, this is well said. I think as long as you do a decent jb of convincing me that the canonical character would really find himself in the situation and behave that way, I can deal with slash, het, or gen. (And yes, gen can run into the same characterization/plausibility ways but in different ways.)

[droolfangrrl.livejournal.com]

Bravo and well said.

I can't get worked up by the whole rabid shippers thing because in the end it's NOT REAL.

That's why my nickname to remind me to NOT GET LIKE THAT.

'cause I know I've got the tendency just waiting to take over.

I'm contrary like that.

[aprilkat.livejournal.com]

Agree! Why can't we like what we like without judging others who don't have the same tastes we do?!? ("We" in this case being "people.")

[mtgat]

Well, you know I agree with you. ;)

[mariole.livejournal.com]

"Well, fanfic's all about getting the characters between the sheets,"

Gosh, I guess all my G-rated fics don't qualify as fanfic. *mourns*


Ruby, I just got asked this question today: why slash? I think it would be obvious! :D But I dispatched a suitable answer, and went on my way. *whistles*

[mariole.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes, they are! *bahs like a sheep*

In all seriousness? We have to add "attidude" to the dictionary. It's way too fun to say! Cheers. :)

[just-ann-now.livejournal.com]

*applauds*

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

I'm bi myself -- slash, het, gen, whatever the Muse whacks me upside the head with a surfboard for. Sometimes I even watch shows and don't write anything about them!

The vitriol is not really surprising -- the smaller the pond, the louder the frogs croak over who's head frog. (I've been told that if you want REALLY brutal, vicious, Godwin's-Law-invoking, knockdown dragout on-line fighting ... try joining a knitting discussion board. Truth.)

Will leave you now imagining a naked pirate. Mmmm...naked pirate...

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

Someone said, "Well, fanfic's all about getting the characters between the sheets,"

Ooooh, that irks me too. Fanfic can be about SO MANY things. Why do people always want to limit it?

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

*grin* Thanks. :)

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

Well, that's because you have *sense*. :)

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

Gotham has no pants! Gotham needs no pants!

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

But at least in Gondor, we have no pants.....

*giggles muchly*

*nod* Yeah, there are so many things that people say You Can't Do, when really one can if one does them *well* enough.

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

Hey, at least you have the sense to keep it at bay. :D

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

*nod* And it also strikes me as being like... why chocolate? Why vanilla? Why strawberry? Why is it that people feel the need to challenge each other on matters of personal taste? *sigh*

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

*grins muchly*

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

The vitriol is not really surprising -- the smaller the pond, the louder the frogs croak over who's head frog.

*nod* There is that. And I've heard that about knitting boards, too! Eeek!

But at least we have naked pirates. :)

[code-renegade.livejournal.com]

Ny! THANK YOU SO MUCH for the drawing book! For the life of me, I can't recall when I added that to my wishlist, but I've always wanted it XD XD XD It really made my day for me.

I'd love to give you a drawing in return, and I won't take "no" for an answer! Any specific character you have in mind, or shall I assume that it's going to be Dick?

Let me know. Thanks again for the surprise!